Mirror Image
by doctorwho29
Summary: My own Sonic Underground story. The team faces thier worst challenge yet!
1. Indroduction

"My children have grown magnificently, both physically and mentally, in their struggle to overcome Robotnick . But they now face their worst nightmare as they are forced to overcome themselves!"

Queen Aleena


	2. Chapter 1: Victory?

Chapter 1: Victory?

The forest trembled as the three truckbots weaved through the trees at high speed. They were surprisingly agile for such large objects and were currently carrying a load of prisoners. A load that Sonic the Hedgehog intended to relieve them of as he streaked towards them like a blue comet. Sonia and Manic were busy with another job for the resistance, so Sonic was on his own. Not that he was bothered one bit by that fact.

"And I was hoping for some actual excitement this morning" Sonic complained to himself. He came up alongside one truckbot but it swiftly dodged through the trees. "Oh clever" Sonic quipped "But not clever enough!" He instantly caught up and Super Spun right through the engine, just like a saw blade. He landed on the other side and counted "3, 2, 1…" Boom! Right on cue the truck blew open, not only halting it but creating an escape route for the prisoners.

"No need to thank me!" Sonic announced to the grateful Mobians. "Now for your amigos" and with that he was off again. In no time he had made short work of truckbot number two and was chasing number three. He noticed that this one wasn't automated; rather it was being driven by Sleet and Dingo. "You won't beat us this time Sonic!" Sleet taunted. "Ahh, and I so had my heart set on doing just that." "Dingo, get out there and stop him!" "You got it Sleet" his dimwitted partner responded.

Dingo leapt from the truck and tried to tackle Sonic. Sonic easily sidestepped him and just kept running. Sleet muttered "That idiot!" and fired his morpher out the window and transformed Dingo into a motorized spiked wheel. The transfigured Dingo sped after Sonic tearing up the ground in the process. "Whoa, that will give you a close shave!" Sonic yelled as he dodged the murderous assailant. Dingo changed direction and pursed the slippery hedgehog all over the area. "Bummer Majores, look what he's doing to the forest!"

Suddenly, Sonic had a brainwave. He shouted "Come and get me, ya overgrown weed eater!" hoping it would get Dingo's attention. It did, causing Dingo to pursue Sonic even harder than before. Sonic caught up to Sleet's truck and stood on the hood. Dingo launched himself at hid prey just as Sonic dove to the side. Sleet barely had time to restore Dingo's true form before being knocked out like a light by his partner's massive bulk. His foot was jostled from the accelerator and onto the brake, causing the truck to halt. Sonic then proceeded to free the prisoners and set them on their way. "Score another one for the Sonic Underground! Now to catch up with a certain pair of siblings" and with that he streaked off towards Robotropolis.

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Meanwhile, Doctor Robotnick was examining some incoming computer data with glee. "Excellent! This is exactly what I needed to complete my greatest experiment." The lab then rang with evil laughter.


	3. Chapter 2: Manic the Cameraman

Chapter 2: Manic the Cameraman

"So how'd it go?" "Do you even have to ask, Manic? I rocked!" The Sonic Underground was back at their warehouse base in Robotropolis. Both missions had been successful. Manic was especially happy because of what he had brought back. "Dudes I just remembered!" He dug in his fanny pack and pulled out a video camera. "Look at the main drummer's new toy!" Sonic and Sonia were withholding pleasure at the moment. Sonic asked "Why do we need a camera?" Sonia asked "How do you have a camera?" in a tone that conveyed she already knew the answer.

"I, er, borrowed it. Without permission" he added under his breath. His siblings were far from impressed. "Manic we talked about this!" Sonia griped. "Chill, Sis. It was in the garbage. It won't be missed." Now she was horrified "You dug through somebody's garbage! First, ewwww and second, why?! Are you that addicting to stealing?" "No, I'm not. It was lying on top so I thought I'd put it to good use." "What good use?" Sonic wanted to know. "How about making some home movies for Ma to watch when we finally meet up with her?"

"Oh great" Sonic moaned "Now he's an amateur director!" Sonia added "Manic we should be fighting buttnick, not playing movie set." Manic hadn't expected this reaction. He was a little upset but he was determined to have fun. "Well, I think it's an awesome idea and I'm going ahead with it." After seeing the looks on his siblings faces he added "Don't worry, I promise not to make any trouble."

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The next morning found Sonia in the bathroom preparing her face for the day ahead. "Oh various assorted beauty products, how would I ever live without you?" What she was unaware of was the camera whirring away in the ventilation shaft. "And now our, righteously handsome and brave investigator brings you this exclusive footage. Here we find Princess Sonia going about her morning ritual, without which she would surely keel over dead." Sonia not hearing this went on with her business. "La la la" she sang as she applied a mud mask. "Oh now she appears to be making herself even more hideous. I will try to stomach it for your sake, faithful viewer." Unfortunately for Manic, he made too much noise as he adjusted for a new angle. Sonia looked up and spotted her soon to be dead brother. "MANIC!!!" she bellowed and the green cameraman made his hasty escape.

He dropped to the ground near the makeshift kitchen as quiet as a mouse. Sonic was preparing a hearty breakfast of chili dogs. As chili was messy when spilled, Sonic was wearing an apron to keep his fur clean, an apron that Sonia had found for him, unfortunately. He added a chef's hat to try to look manlier but Manic was already at it again with the infamous camera. "Oh man what is this! The fastest, and most stuck up, hedgehog on Mobius in a frilly apron! This is golden footage for my special viewer." He might have gotten away with it if he hadn't started giggling. "Huh" Sonic muttered as he turned to look. "Manic!" Sonic was so surprised that he knocked the whole pot of chili on himself. At this Manic, burst into full blown peals of laughter.

The laughter had died a moment latter when the doomed camera man found himself cornered by his not so happy brother and sister. "Come on guys! Ma's sure to love it." "Yes" Sonia growled "She will appreciate something to remember her dearly departed son by!" Sonic was in full agreement and they began to move towards the panicked Manic.

Just then they heard a noise in the alley…


	4. Chapter 3: The First Battle

**Doctorwho29: Why no reviews? I want to know what everyone thinks.**

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Chapter 3: The First Battle

"What was that?" Sonic wondered aloud. He super spun the apron, hat, and chili off of himself and onto his protesting siblings. Ignoring their cries of indignation, he sped outside to check out the situation. He sped up to the roof of a nearby building to look around. "Hm, I know I heard something." Then he saw it, a Swatbot battalion walking down the street with a small boy in tow. He looked terrified. "Time to juice and jam!" and with that he bolted for the Swatbots and their young prey.

Sonic came to halt right in their path and held up a hand to stop them. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way." The Swatbot in the lead pointed his blaster at him, intoned "Priority One Hedgehog spotted" and began blasting. "Oh goody" Sonic said "The hard way!" He weaved between the blasts, grabbed the boy, and deposited him in an alley way. "Back in a minute" Sonic assured him and rushed back towards the Swatbots. Within moments he had reduced them to scrap metal. "That sure made me feel better! Now for the kid." He ran back to the alley and asked "You alright?"

"Oh, yes sir! I'm just dandy!" and then the kid began to laugh in a not so friendly fashion. "Okay, I'm confused. What's the joke?" A voice from the shadows answered "Just the fact that you feel into our trap." Sonic jerked around to find Sleet stepping forward and firing a beam of light at the laughing boy. He instantly morphed into Dingo. "Oh, wow I'm so scared" Sonic jeered "Let me guess. You want revenge for yesterday." Sleet's expression darkened but he answered "No. We're going to let him handle you."

Sonic looked beyond Sleet's pointed finger to notice a pair of glowing red eyes. The body attached to those eyes moved into view. Sonic gasped at what he saw. It looked like a robotic form of him. The body was the same shade of blue as his fur, the head was shaped the same, and even the shoes were identical. It stopped between Sleet and Dingo, who proceeded to simultaneously announce "Presenting Metal Sonic!"

"Okay I'll bite. What's going on here?" Dingo giggled and said "You're gonna die, that's what." Sleet continued "Metal Sonic was built with all of your statistics and abilities in mind. He can't be beaten." "Oh yeah…" but was cut off when Metal Sonic lunged at him. The real Sonic dodged and streaked off down the street. He turned to see Metal Sonic running perfectly even with him. "Okay, wise guy. You asked for it!" Sonic turned down a side street and significantly picked up the pace. He was shocked to find his doppelganger still keeping up. "Oh, it's on!" Sonic warned as he abruptly turned to tackle Metal Sonic.

The ensuing battle was an even draw. Sonic and Metal Sonic were evenly matched in strength and speed, so that it was difficult for either to get an advantage. Sonic muttered "Buttnick must be a real fan to have paid so much attention to me" before being punched in the nose. "Ouch! You're pretty good but I'm gonna win and do you know why?" Metal Sonic stopped and beeped inquisitively. "I, unlike you, have backup!" Right on cue a musical chord was heard on a keyboard and a bolt of pink energy blasted Metal Sonic backwards under a bridge. This was followed by a drum beat accompanied by an earthquake. The whole bridge came down onto Metal Sonic, battering his body horribly. Sonic said "And for our grand finale" as he materialized his guitar. Metal Sonic dug himself out only to have his head blasted clean off.

"Yeah, score one for the Sonic Underground!" Sonic exclaimed. He turned and asked "What took you guys so long?" Sonia responded "Finding you, for one thing, and also cleaning that chili off. Chili that wouldn't have been there" she went on turning to face Manic "if someone had kept their camera to themselves!" "Chill sis, I've learned my lesson. No more "Candid Camera" for me." Sonic responded to this with "Now that that's settled let's go celebrate another foiled Buttnick plan!" Sonia and Manic agreed and the siblings left for home. As they departed, the eyes of the decapitated Metal Sonic flickered to life.


	5. Chapter 4: Operation Phoenix

Chapter 4: Operation Phoenix

"And here, faithful viewer, we find the Sonic Underground on their way to a meeting with Cyrus, the local genius!" "Manic cool it!" Sonia shouted "Just because we allowed you to keep that stupid camera doesn't mean that you have to record every second of our lives!" "Okay, okay sis! Geez, I just thought it would be nice to include other Freedom Fighters on the tape and I was giving Cyrus's introduction." Sonia was about to respond when Sonic cut her off "Chill sibs. Sonia lay off Manic and Manic lay off the camera for a while, okay? Cyrus said this meeting was important so let's show some maturity." Sonia and Manic thought that request was rich coming from Sonic but they moved onward.

"Ah guys, glad to see you!" Cyrus greeted as the team arrived. He was confused to find himself being filmed however. "And here he is the one and only Cyrus! And now I'm done" he hastily added stuffing the camera out of sight. Cyrus began "Why is…" but Sonic interrupted with "Don't ask! So what's up, Cy?" "Huh, oh yeah, intelligence has gotten wind of a Robotnick plan." Sonic asked "Let me guess, you want us to stop it?" "Right you are Sonic. If the reports are accurate the plan's called Operation Phoenix."

"Operation Phoenix" Manic exclaimed "Sounds cool! By the way, what is a phoenix?" There was a collective groan in the room before Sonia explained "A phoenix is a mythological firebird that can be reborn from its own ashes time and time again." "Oh cool! Too bad Ferral never told me about such things. For me, school was usually learning new thief skills." "Yes, how very educational that must have been" Sonia sarcastically responded. "Dude, lay off my childhood!" Manic spat angrily.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Cyrus yelled. Silence pervaded the scene. "Thank you!" He walked over to a computer console and pressed a sequence of buttons. A holographic image of a satellite appeared before them. "This is the Phoenix, a very high tech satellite that, once in orbit, will be able to scan all of Mobius for non robotosized citizens in a single day." "Oh my gosh!" Sonia exclaimed. "Freedom Fighters everywhere would be in danger, even Sanctuary!" "You're right Sonia" Cyrus elaborated "because the Phoenix can also supposedly scan through buildings and even underground. Even worse, once launched, it would be enveloped in a missile proof force field."

Sonic was vaguely impressed. "Buttnick is really out doing himself; first my very own robotic clone and now this." Manic said "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go trash that piece of space junk." The other's felt the same way. "These are the coordinates for the factory it's being built at" Cyrus said, handing over a page of computer printout. "The satellite's not complete yet but it could be finished any day now. "That, my friend, is why we are already on our way!" Sonic stated as he and his siblings left Cyrus's base.


	6. Chapter 5: Busting the Factory

**Doctorwho29: Thanks for the reviews guys! I apologize for the wimpy battle seqences. I'm new to this.**

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Chapter 5: Busting the Factory

The Sonic Underground's van sped to the outskirts of Robotropolis, while inside Sonia went over the plan once again. "Now Sonic will scout ahead to find a way in. Then he'll radio me to join him. We'll sped inside and take down that satellite while Manic stays with the van so we can be ready to make our get away." "We got it, we got it!" Sonic complained "This will just be business as usual."

They arrived at the factory and put Sonia's plan into action. Sonic radioed for Sonia almost immediately and they were off. "Now I have a few minutes to just relax" Manic said getting out his drumsticks and practicing on the dashboard. Just then he heard the van door slide open. "Back already?" he asked as he began to turn around. Suddenly, he felt a dull blow to the head and everything went black.

"Hey bro wake up." Manic slowly opened his eyes and groaned "What happened?" "We were discovered and captured, that's what" Sonia answered. Manic gasped and sat up to discover that all three of them were in a cell. "Buttnick was expecting us" Sonic said. He was obviously frustrated at being caught so easily. Sonia said "This is simply even greater proof that this plan needs to be stopped. He really didn't want us to interfere." Manic was already on his feet and examining the lock. "I think I can get us out." "How, are going to do that?" Sonia asked. "The Swatbot took away your lock picks." Manic noticed his fanny pack was gone. "So they did. I'll have to get them back. Too bad for them this is a really simple lock!" He proceeded to remove one of his earrings and use the pin to pick the lock.

"Wow!" both siblings exclaimed together. "Way too easy, dude!" Manic said as he restored the earring to its proper home. "Let's juice and jam!" They sneaked their way through the factory with very few obstacles. "Okay now this is ominous" Sonia observed. "First they brilliantly capture all three of us and now we find our way unobstructed." "They think we're still locked up" Sonic assured her. "They underestimated the brilliance of our brother." He said our brother with pride and Manic noticed. "Aw, it was no biggie." "Shush guys!" Sonia whispered. "It would be insane to not be careful even with these nice empty hallways." So they silently made their way to the hanger where the Phoenix was being constructed.

"Whoa!" all three hedgehogs exclaimed. Cyrus's information hadn't told just how awesome the satellite appeared. It truly looked like a fiery phoenix ready for take off. It had a rather large middle section but the wings, neck, and head were all sleek and streamlined. The head had a lens on the bottom that was almost certainly the infamous scanner. "All right guys," Sonic exclaimed "Let's take this bird down!" "Not so fast!" sounded the voice of Sleet. He and his idiotic partner were standing right behind the heroic siblings. Sleet was wearing Manic's fanny pack.

"Dude that's mine, give it back!" "Oh I don't think so." Sleet taunted "Now you know what all of your victims felt like!" Manic looked sheepish but Sonic retorted "We're not taking moral lessons from a slime ball like you! Let's get them guys." The Underground dived for the dastardly duo and did what they did best. Manic swiped his fanny pack without Sleet even noticing. Dingo was morphed into a steamroller which began to herd them backwards towards the Phoenix. Sonic said "Forget this" and prepared to trash Dingo, when Sleet began laughing. Dingo stopped rolling and Sleet pushed a button on a remote control.

The Phoenix bent its neck so that the lens was right over the hedgehogs. They only had a second to be surprised before it immersed them in a strange light. They were paralyzed by a strange sensation that wasn't quite pain but not far off. They tried to move but the beam held them fast. It stopped as suddenly as it had started. "What was that!?" Sonic panted as he and his siblings recovered from the strange ordeal. "That was your fate being sealed" a deep voice chuckled as a door slid open to reveal Doctor Robotnick.

"And just what is that supposed to mean, Buttnick?" Sonia asked angrily. "See for yourselves" he responded while pointing behind them. A panel on the Phoenix's stomach began to slide open. The Sonic Underground gasped at what was inside.


	7. Chapter 6: Operation Phoenix Revealed

Chapter 6: Operation Phoenix Revealed

As the panel slide open, Sonic experienced déjà vu. He was staring right into the eyes of a rebuilt Metal Sonic. It was flanked by two new robots, Metal Manic and Metal Sonia. They were built with amazing detail, right down to Sonia's clothes and Manic's earrings. "Dude, this is weird!" The others silently agreed with Manic as Robotnick, Sleet, and Dingo all laughed hysterically. "You fool's!" Robotnick gleefully exclaimed. "Your initial battle with Metal Sonic was merely the beginning. An experiment to see how well the plan was progressing."

Sonic wheeled on him "Then the experiment was a failure. We won! You actually think simply giving him partners will cut it?" Robotnick smiled "Oh no! I don't think that at all! But I do think three deadly robots which happen to be exact replicas of you will." The Sonic Underground was now really confused. "How can they be copies of us?" Sonia asked "They're just robots." "Oh, you really are stupid" Robotnick jeered "What do you think that was just a moment ago, fireworks?!" Manic gasped "Oh man, that thing was scanning us! Way past uncool!"

"Right you are hedgehog! This whole plan was a set up. This is the true nature of Operation Phoenix, the resurrection of Metal Sonic, and the birth of his siblings!" Sleet ordered "Kill them." Dingo added "But not really with Sonia!" Robotnick and Sleet stared at him while the robots came to life. The hedgehogs found themselves under assault from their own doppelgangers. The twin Sonics raced around the room occasionally striking blows. Sonia tried to Super Spin her clone but was intercepted. Manic and his clone were mainly dodging each other with catlike agility.

Robotnick and company had raised themselves up on a platform so as to stay out of harm's way. Robotnick cackled "Oh this is too good to be true! The Metal's are winning!" It was true; the robotic clones had a real advantage. They were able to predict every move their opponents made. It was all the Underground could do to stay fighting. "Now," Sleet grinned "we get to see if the final part of the plan was successful." As he said it, Metal Manic swiped his counterpart's medallion. "Hey clone freak, give that back!" Metal Manic simply the original away and donned the medallion himself. He touched it and, to Manic's utter surprise, the drums appeared!

"Dude, that's impossible!" Metal Manic set down at the drums and began playing. The room was rocked by an earthquake. Sonia and Sonic were knocked to the ground, allowing their clones to steal their medallions. Sonic uttered a feeble "Bummer Majores" as the villains laughed their heads off.


	8. Chapter 7: Escape

Chapter 7: Escape

Metal Sonic and Sonia both put on their newly acquired medallions and summoned the instruments within. Metal Manic held the drumsticks at the ready as his partners advanced on the flesh and blood hedgehogs. Sleet jeered "Let's see how you like having your head removed, Sonic!" Metal Sonic played a chord and Sonic ducked just in time to keep his head. "Sibs I think it's time we retreated." Sonia responded "Well yes but how do we do that?" The Metals advanced closer and closer. "We're trapped!"

Manic began to swiftly survey the room. He noticed something and said "Yo guys, look over there." They looked were he was pointing and noticed that the platform Buttnick and company were standing on could also sink into the floor. The supporting pole vanished down a dark hole. "Manic" Sonia whispered "Are you insane? That could lead anywhere, even into certain death." Robotnick noticed that they were talking amongst themselves and smiled "Ahh, saying your last words to each other. That's a freedom I simply don't feel like allowing. Metals kill them now!"

The ground shook and lasers fired. Sonic looked at Sonia and said "It is certain death if we stay here." He grabbed his siblings and said "Hang on and pray we survive!" Sonic bolted for the hole with Sonia and Manic in tow. Before any of the bad guys could speak, the Sonic Underground had taken the dive. Down they fell, expecting to hit fatal machinery at any second. What they did hit was a metal grill that was stretched over the machinery working the lift. There must have been a motion censor because a light came on. They noticed a door and Manic got to work on opening it.

Suddenly the machinery began working and the pole began detracting into the ground. A mixture of voices echoed down to them; "We'll crush the fools flat" and "Poor Sonia!" "Hurry!" Manic heard his siblings scream at him. "I am" he shouted back as the door swung open. They dove through and slammed it shut behind them, finding themselves in a garage. Sonia yelled "The van" and pointed the way to their salvation. They all piled inside the van as their pursuers burst into the garage. Sonic said "This calls for a speedy get away" and took the steering wheel. He put the petal to the floor and crashed right through the door.

"We did it!" Sonic shouted jubilantly "We escaped!" Sonia added "Never mind that you almost got us killed doing it. Yippee we made it!" Manic wasn't quite so happy. "Um, dudes it's great that we're alive and everything but…" "But what" Sonia asked. "But we now have three exact replicas of us on the loose. They won't rest until we're found and they have our medallions." Sonic and Sonia began to realize the gravity of the situation.


	9. Chapter 8: Flight and Fright

**Doctorwho29: Thanks for the continued support guys! It really helps me keep writing**

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Chapter 8: Flight and Fright

For days the Sonic Underground kept moving. They could never stay put for long or even contact friends because the Metal Underground was always on their heels. The battles that resulted were always the same. The Metals always had the advantage, mainly because they had the medallions. Every time the hedgehogs started getting in some good licks they were forced back by their own weapons. Manic's drum set was the main problem with its ability to create earthquakes.

Currently, the Sonic Underground was speeding across the desert in their van. It was nearing the end of a grueling day and tensions were running high. "Sonic" Sonia was loudly complaining "You're driving a van not a roller coaster!" Sonic snorted "We'll excuse me sis! I didn't put the sand dunes here!" "Why can't we take the main road?" she wanted to know. "Duh, let's think about this. We have three seriously dangerous clones on our trail and they can predict pretty much everything we do. Why not just go our normal route and be instantly discovered!" Sonia was looking murderous but she was cut off by Manic. "Yo chill! I'm getting a headache from all of your squabbling!"

Manic was sitting by himself in the back of the van. He was half heartedly practicing with some spare drumsticks and looking rather sad. His siblings were worried about him but they drove on in silence.

Late that night, Sonic awoke from some unpleasant dreams. He assumed that they had woken him up; that and the fact that last night's chili dogs had caught up with him. On his way back from the bathroom, Sonic discovered that Manic's bunk was empty. After making sure that Sonia was still asleep, he headed for the roof. He found Manic looking at the stars and looking really thoughtful. "You know nighttime is for sleeping." Manic looked startled but recovered quickly. "Oh it's you bro. Yeah I know I just don't feel like sleeping." Sonic sat down next to Manic and asked "It's about the Metal Underground isn't it?" Manic nodded. "Look we're all feeling the strain. I hate to admit it but Buttnick has come up with a stroke of genius."

"Yeah but with our abilities" Manic muttered sadly. "Dude I just feel so, so…" Sonic was surprised. "You can't mean that you're feeling guilty?!" Manic gave him a look that said "Well yeah." Sonic hated to see Manic this torn up. Underneath that tough exterior he truly loved his brother and was determined to cheer him up. "Dude if you're sad that they got our medallions, well all are. But your thief skills are awesome!" "Sonia doesn't think so." "Are you kidding of course she does! Look at how many scrapes you've gotten us out of. Seriously, that trick with the earring was amazing!" Manic blushed and said "I invented that one myself."

Sonic playfully punched Manic's shoulder and said "See you're amazing. In fact, the fact that Buttnick had to rip you off says a lot." Manic grinned "He ripped you guys off as well." His smile faded. "But if I had been paying attention at the van I wouldn't have been caught." Sonic waved his hand dismissively "So you made a mistake. Learn a lesson and move on. Besides the result would have been the same. We still thought the Phoenix was the threat." Manic smiled and said "Thanks bro. You're really great!" Sonic responded "Oh we're stating the obvious now."

They both laughed and Sonic said "Come on, let's get back to bed. Tomorrow, we'll try to come up with a way to beat those metal posers." Manic agreed and added "I wonder where they are right now?" Meanwhile, a ship was landing on the Floating Island.


	10. Chapter 9: Call for Help

**Doctorwho29: Thanks for the review from Sar the Hedgehog! Looks like I fooled you with the Floating Island thing.**

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Chapter 9: Call for Help

Knuckles the Echidna heard the roar of an airship as it touched down. He growled as he and Chomps moved closer to inspect. He studied the ship as it settled. It wasn't Sleet and Dingo's scorpion ship nor did it appear to be connected to Robotnick. He stepped forward and called "Show yourself whoever you are!" He braced himself for battle as the door slide open and a tall figure was revealed. It stepped forward and revealed itself to be a woman. She removed her hood and said "It's alright Knuckles. I don't think you have to attack me."

Knuckles was stunned. "Qu-queen Aleena" he stuttered. "What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you." She smiled and said "I wasn't expecting to need to come." Her smile faded, "Knuckles I must ask for your help on behalf of my children." "What's wrong? Why would they need me?" Aleena sighed and said "That is quite a story but I don't have much time. Please pay close attention."

It only took a short while for the Queen to tell Knuckles all about the robots chasing her children. Knuckles was shocked. "That sounds terrible. And you don't see any way they can beat the bots?" She responded "I believe that they could eventually overcome them. However, I fear for the innocents that will become involved. Also it may take them too long to solve this dilemma. That's why you must go to them and offer your assistance."

Knuckles grimaced. "I would love to help them but that would leave my island open to attack. The emerald…" "Knuckles" the Queen began "I understand your position and wouldn't ask your help if this wasn't such a desperate situation. I will remain here with Chomps." Now Knuckles was really shocked. "You!? You're Majesty I can't allow this." She smiled "Knuckles, contrary to popular belief, I can take care of myself. Besides, I have a feeling that Doctor Robotnick won't try to steal the emerald, he'll be too busy trying to dispose of my danger prone children."

Knuckles noticed something in the Queen's voice; "You really miss them don't you." Her expression fell as she answered "Of course." "Why don't you go to them yourself if they are in this much trouble?" Queen Aleena looked Knuckles directly in the eyes while tears formed in her own. "I would like nothing better but I can't. It takes every ounce of my willpower sometimes but I can't. The Oracle of Delphus has guaranteed me that if I act too soon it will doom my children." "But what's too soon? How will you know when the time is right?" She turned away in order to wipe her tears and said "That's the worst part. I have absolutely no idea. The Oracle simply said that I'd know when the time was right."

Knuckles gently steered her around and looked at her. His expression was sufficient to convey his heartfelt sympathy. Finally he said "I'll do it."


	11. Chapter 10: Knuckles

Chapter 10: Knuckles

The van continued its trek across the desert. Manic was feeling much better after his midnight chat with Sonic. Of course, neither of them had breathed a word to Sonia. She was simply glad that Manic was fighting fit again. "I wonder when our new friends will visit again" she stated with sarcasm. Sonic responded "Who knows sis. But they will strike again and we need to be ready." Manic said if only we could get our medallions back. I'll try to swipe them." Sonia said "That hasn't worked yet." She received some dirty looks and added "But I'm feeling lucky today."

Sonic, who happened to be driving, said "Look at those rocks. We could head that way and set up an ambush for the metal posers." Manic answered "Well that is a good idea. I'm just afraid our shadows will see it coming." Sonic nodded grimly and said "You're right, bro, but it's the best idea we have right now." He adjusted their course and sped towards their new destination.

They weren't even halfway there when a bomb went off right under them. The van was thrown into the air and dropped onto its side. Inside the van the Sonic Underground were still in their seats thanks to their seat belts. Sonia sighed "Thanks goodness for whoever invented these." They all unstrapped, one by one so as to not land on each other, and made their way outside.  
The Metal Underground was standing right in front of them waiting for their prey. "Ah man" Manic groaned "They did see through our plan." His metallic counterpart nodded. Sonic said "Well, I guess we'll have to rumble right here."

The battle started and raged on like any other. The Sonic's raced, the Sonia's grappled, and the Manic's made swipes at each other using various tricks and improvised weapons. The fight was even until the Metals utilized their stolen weapons, like always. Sonic whined "Man, this is getting old." He had broken his concentration and Metal Sonic was about to lay him out with a punch. "Uh oh!" Suddenly something red erupted from the ground and sent Metal Sonic flying. "I knew I'd find you guys in serious trouble." Sonic focused on the red thing and a grin split his face "Knuckles!" Knuckles grinned back and said "Well, who did you expect, Santa Claus?"

"Hey sibs" Sonic shouted "We've got some help!" They both looked over and both got creamed by their robot clones. "Ouch" Sonic sympathetically winced "I'm sorry!" Knuckles said "Looks like I need to get to work." His arms became whirring blurs and he dove into the sand. He gave Metal Manic the same treatment that Metal Sonic had received and moved on to Metal Sonia. Sonic noticed that his clone was coming back for more. The guitar was gone and he was ready to fight to the death.

Knuckles proved to be more than enough to tip the scales. Soon the Metals were looking worse for the wear. Metal Sonic beeped something to the other and they beeped back. It seemed to be a call to retreat for that's exactly what they did. For the next few minutes, everyone was busy thanking Knuckles and hearing the story of why he came. "Wow" Sonic said "Mom really sent you?" "Yep, and it's a good thing she did because we still haven't seen the last of those metal creeps."Manic added "Dude we have to see them again. We totally forgot to get our medallions back."


	12. Chapter 11: The Plans

Chapter 11: The Plans

The Sonic Underground, along with their new partner Knuckles, sat in the van trying to form a decent plan. It was the day after Knuckles' intervention and they had to decide what to do next. "If you ask me" Sonia said "I think it will be a few days until we see them again." Manic wondered "Why do you say that sis?" "Because of Knuckles, he's a new element. The Metal's had no trouble when it was just us but now they have to regroup." Sonic went on "Yeah but that doesn't give us any breathing room. We need a plan."

Knuckles said "From what I could see the Metal's main advantage is the stolen medallions." "Yeah" the others agreed miserably. Knuckles went on "Well why don't you try to get them back." "How?" Sonic demanded. "If we could find out where they are, we could send Manic in after the medallions while the rest of us create a distraction for him." Manic's face split in a wide grin. "Yeah" he said excitedly "Yeah that could work." Sonic thought so too but Sonia said "Brilliant plan boys. Just one problem, how **do** we find them?" Her brother's faces fell.

Knuckles, however, had already worked out that little snag. "Um, I don't know if you've noticed but we're in the desert. They'll have left tracks in the sand." The others were looking hopeful again. "That could actually work" Sonia admitted. Sonic dove for the steering wheel and said "Seatbelts everyone! We have some bots to track."

**************

Deep in the bowels of one of his many robot factories, Dr. Robotnick was angrily repairing the Metal Underground. "Knuckles! If I ever get my hands on that echidna I'll kill him!" Sleet and Dingo were skulking nearby. "It seems sir" Sleet said cautiously "That the tide seems to be turning." "Oh really" Robotnick responded sarcastically "I hadn't noticed!" Dingo said "If they get their medallions back, we'll be in real trouble." He then ducked to avoid the wrench Robotnick had thrown at his head.

"Sir" Sleet said "Even though Dingo is a nincompoop, (Dingo yelled "Thank you") he actually has a point. We should protect the medallions." Robotnick thought for a moment and said "You might be right." He picked the objects in question up and placed them in a computerized safe. "Let's see Manic pick that lock!"


	13. Chapter 12: Operation Medallion

**Doctorwho29: Sorry it took so long to update!**

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Chapter 12: Operation Medallion

The Sonic Underground parked their van a safe distance away from the factory. Inside everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming mission. Manic was checking all of his tools to be sure that the heist went as smoothly as possible. He couldn't help grinning a bit. No matter what his siblings thought about it, he really enjoyed his work and was glad to be going back into the field. Sonia was examining maps of the area so that they could use the safest route. Sonic and Knuckles were simply waiting to go.

"Come on guys!" Sonic was complaining "I'll be too old to run properly at this rate." Sonia shot back "Patience is a virtue!" "Well not to me." She snorted and returned to the map. "Okay" she said at last "This seems to be our safest bet. Sonic will carry Manic in and let him get to work while Knuckles and I cover the rear." "All right" the boys said simultaneously "Let's go!"

Getting Manic inside was a breeze. Sonic easily slipped past the guards and deposited his brother in an empty hallway. "Get going" Sonic urged "Use the communicator if you need help." "Will do bro" and with that they went their separate ways. Manic crept along in silence, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for signs of trouble. He froze as he heard footsteps coming. Sleet and Dingo were coming ever closer, chatting away and not yet aware of Manic's presence. He flattened himself into a shadowy doorway and began to pray that they wouldn't spot him.

The mercenaries walked on by and Manic heard what they were talking about. "Ha ha, Sleet, those Hedgehogs will never get their medallions back. Not now that they're locked up in laboratory three." Sleet, in a voice filled with frustration, said "Yes I know. I was there." Dingo's reply was lost as they rounded a corner. Manic let out the breath he had been holding and spend off in the direction Sleet and Dingo had come from. He soon found a large door marked Laboratory Three. "Bingo" Manic whispered as he got to work on the lock.

Once inside, it didn't take him long to find a safe tucked away under a side table. The lock was computerized and very complicated. "Hm, looks like I have to roll up my sleeves a bit." He looked at his arms and said "Oh wait, I don't have sleeves!" Chuckling at his own joke, Manic set to work on the lock. He was having to use all of his technological know how on this one. He got out a small machine he had brought and wired it into the lock. "Come on little code breaker, do your stuff!" It began to whir softly as it got to work on the safe's password.

After a moment the green light came on and the safe swung open. "Awesome!" he said as he gazed upon all three medallions. He was about to grab them when an alarm went off. Manic grabbed the medallions and ran. Out in the hallway he heard Swatbots coming from both directions.


	14. Chapter 13: Escape from Robotnick

**Doctorwho29: Sorry I took so long to update! I went on a church mission trip to Peru and that created the delay.**

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Mirror Image

By Brandon Srubar

Chapter 13: Escape from Robotnick

Manic had only a minute to think before the Swatbots were upon him. "Target identified: Manic the Hedgehog!" Instead of being afraid, Manic only grinned. "Oh you bots are in for it!" He stuffed two of the medallions into his fanny pack and put on his own. Then, quick as thought, he proceeded to call out his drum set. He immediately began to play and the whole corridor began to shake.

The Swatbots all lost their balance and fell over onto their backs. They all laid there unable to right themselves. Manic hugged his drums and said "Man has papa been missing you!" He returned them to medallion form and continued his dangerous trek through Robotnick's factory. He met more Swatbots but they were easily dispatched. What he didn't like was when he turned a corner and saw Robotnick, Sleet, Dingo, and the Metal's all in the same room.

They had not seen him so he dove back around the corner and listened. "I can't believe it!" Robotnick was screaming "A break-in! It must be those insufferable hedgehogs!" Sleet said "Calm yourself, sir. They can't possibly defeat the improved Metals plus Dingo and I. Especially not on our own turf!" Manic didn't listen as closely to the rest, he had heard enough. He didn't like the odds of that battle, especially since he was alone. He knew that the quickest way out was through that room. He looked around for a moment and then had a brilliant idea.

*************

Sleet was just finishing his comforting of Robotnick when he heard it. It was faint and distant but it was there. The voices of the hedgehogs! "Sir listen!" All ears perked up and they heard it too. Robotnick cried "It's coming from the ventilation system! Dingo get up there! Quickly!" Dingo gave a look of confusion and asked "How do I do that?" Sleet responded "How could you forget?" as he pulled out the shape shifting remote. Sleet pushed the button and watched as Dingo became a toy car. Sleet proceeded to strap a camera to him and shove him into the vent.

Dingo silently drove along, muttering to himself a bit, following the voices. They seemed to be saying weird things about beauty products and chili dogs. He then found a video camera with the recorded video playing on a loop. "Huh!?" He drove back to where all of his companions, both flesh and metal, were waiting gathered around the vent. "Guys it's only a video camera!" "What!" everyone exclaimed. Nobody noticed the green hedgehog sneaking silently behind them.

Sleet lifted Dingo out and demanded "What do you mean a video camera?" "Just what I said, a camera playing on a loop. Can I be me again?" Sleet unceremoniously dropped Dingo, who landed with an "Ouch." Sleet transformed him back to his unusual self. Robotnick said "They seem to have gotten clever on us. Metal's go search for them!" The Metal's had just saluted when a Swatbot entered. "What now?" Robotnick demanded. The Swatbot reported "Sir the Hedgehog's van has been spotted driving away from this facility at high speed." "What" Robotnick roared. "There's more sir. The royal medallions are gone." At this Robotnick could only sputter incoherently.


End file.
